With new owners taking over, plans for a Margaritaville Cafe in Calgary may change:

The Jimmy Buffett restaurant – touted as the marquee attraction in a major expansion slated for Stampede grounds – is facing new hurdles as the company behind the Canadian arm of the chain comes under new ownership.

A Toronto-based company in the process of purchasing Margaritaville Canada will be evaluating the Calgary project once the transaction is complete, said it’s head, Dragan Matovic.

“We are going to be speaking with the various developers there and the folks at the Stampede in the near future once this transaction is hopefully completed, and then we’ll decide accordingly.”

Bryan McFarland, principal of development, is in Calgary this week, meeting with several retailers, including existing tenants and new prospects.

“Whatever happens with Margaritaville, we’ve got a great lineup of tenants to either replace them or supplement them,” he said.

Margaritaville was to be the anchor tenant and include live entertainment and a sports bar.

Matovic said his numbered company is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to acquire the Margaritaville licence rights for Canada.

“Subsequently, we would start focusing in on several major issues, one of which would be the growth of the company going forward and obviously assessing the merits of the Calgary project,” he said.

It’s too soon to make decisions before the company purchase is complete, he said, adding that the Calgary restaurant “sounds like an interesting opportunity.”

Plans were first announced for a Calgary location in the summer of 2009. An official website is up at www.margaritavillecalgary.ca but there’s no content.

It was announced a month ago that Jimmy Buffett planned to build a new Margaritavlle Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. On Tuesday the City Council approved the plans. Here are more details that have been revealed:

The $48 million first phase will create about 700 jobs. The 20,000 square feet of casino will have 750 slot machines and 18 table games. The restaurant and bar will seat 290 indoors and on the outdoor dining deck overlooking the Back Bay, plus 60 more on a second level. The 17,000-square-foot events center will have seating for about 780.

The developers hope to break ground in April and open in early 2012.

Read the full article here.

After years of idling, it looks like a Margaritaville Casino is finally coming “down around Biloxi.” However, it will be at a new location: the old East Harrison County Industrial Park on 5th Street. There is no word yet on what will happen to the old site along the Biloxi coast that has become an eye sore to local residents.

The Sun-Herald says that the 68,000-square-foot, $48 million resort should be open by the end of the year. When completed, it will feature a casino, restaurant, shops, an events center, and a marina.

To get the project built and open by the end of the year, Cavanaugh said the city and Gaming Commission have agreed to expedite the approval process. It tentatively is heading to the Biloxi Planning Commission as soon as Feb. 2, to the City Council on Feb. 15 or 22 and the Gaming Commission on Feb. 24.

Below is an artist rendering from the Cunningham Group:

Here is the original artist rendering for the resort that was announced in 2007 and was subsequently scrapped:

First announced last February, a new line of sunglasses from Jimmy Buffett is now available.

Margaritaville Eyewear, “Shades of the Tropics,” is is available in three styles: Down Island, Hemisphere, and Calypso. The sunglasses range in price from $159.95 to $179.95.

The eyewear incorporates Margaritaville Polarized Technology (MPT), “where state-of-the-art optical science meets fun-in-the-sun protection.” Read more about the technology here.

Get more info and view the eyewear line at www.margaritavilleeyewear.com.

After beating out Planet Hollywood back in April, a Margaritaville hotel and resort received final approval from Hollywood, Florida city commissioners on Wednesday:

Hollywood commissioners gave their blessing for Margaritaville, a vast 17-story resort hotel that promises to change the face of the beach.

The Jimmy Buffett-themed resort won’t break ground for another year, but visitors and locals already are waking up to the clatter of saws, hammers and construction trucks.

Lon Tabatchnick, developer for the $130-million Margaritaville, believes that the Jimmy-Buffett-themed hotel/resort will finally be the catalyst that the beach needs to make it a sought-after vacation destination — and, in time, lure other investors.

The resort, to be built on a six-acre stretch at Johnson Street and the Broadwalk, will have 350 rooms, a pool with a wave simulator, restaurants, a 22,000-square-foot banquet room, parking garage, shops and event areas.

The new entertainment complex, with eateries like Captain Tony’s and dishes like Volcano Nachos, will fit right in with Hollywood’s no-fuss vibe, Tabatchnick said.

The Margaritaville resort is expected to open in three years.